‘Free-flowing’ top-flight can help fanbase grow
SIMON Massie-Taylor believes the quality of rugby in the Premiership this season will tempt the millions whose rugby experience does not go beyond England to sample the club game.
Massie-Taylor, right, who moved from the Rugby Football Union to become Premiership Rugby’s chief executive five months ago, says club rugby has never been better placed to expand its audience.
“There are 10 million rugby fans in this country, but nine million of them watch England games on television,” said MassieTaylor, who was the RFU’s chief commercial and marketing officer. “We want to bridge that gap and we can do that given the quality of rugby in the Premiership.
“Seven matches will be screened live on ITV next season, including the final again, which means rugby fans can engage regularly with our game. Not so long ago, people would have described club rugby as turgid but it is now freeflowing and exciting, driven by young players.”
Clubs have had to rely more and more on their academies two years after Covid struck. The financial implications are still being felt and the reduction of the salary cap to £5m will be exacerbated by the rapidly rising cost of living with players needing wage increases just to keep up.
“I think people have fallen back in love with rugby,” said Massie-Taylor who in his first couple of months in charge unveiled a streaming platform PRTV Live which for a fee streams all the Premiership matches not televised live.
“The competitiveness in the league is driven by the cap. We are gearing towards a sell-out for the Premiership final: it has not had a full crowd since 2019 and it is a final in the English sporting calendar that means something, providing the best day of the season at Twickenham.”
Massie-Taylor said the priority of the Premiership was to move back towards sustainability following the financial hit every club took during the pandemic, the main reason why the salary cap was cut.
“I think it was remarkable that all
13 clubs survived,” he said. “It is now about growing the league and its popularity which is why free-to-air access is important. Inflation will have an impact, but rugby is a sleeping giant.”
The Premiership was the first rugby body to sell a stake to the private equity company, CVC. The United Rugby Championship and the Six Nations followed and Massie-Taylor said the investors have a central role to play in the growth of the game. “There is a misconception that they are the management company,” he said. “They are a hugely important partner who invested a couple of years ago and have had to be patient.
“They are interested in the growth of the sport and are putting money in to help achieve that. It is up to us to put a plan in place and the fact they are investors in other rugby assets brings collaboration.
“They came into rugby as neutrals without any baggage. They are able to look at things objectively and bring everyone closer together. In a politicised game, they are the voice of reason.”